Apr 29, 2008 11:50 am US/Pacific
Water Worries Spark Landscape Rebate Projects
OAKLAND (CBS 5) ―
The East Bay Municipal Utility District is warning residents that a water supply shortage could trigger mandatory rationing. The message comes as the utility is spreading the word about a
little known program designed to help homeowners cut down outdoor water use.
"We are offering homeowners up to $1,000 in rebates if they can cut their water use down to 500 gallons or less," said Susan Handjian with EBMUD. She said the process is as simple as
filling out an application and presenting a landscape conversion plan.
Marguerite Lyons of Danville did just that. She and her husband replaced a lawn that used to circle the backyard pool. The lawn consumed more than a thousand gallons of water a day - enough to fill 20 bathtubs. Now it uses 30 percent less water.
The Lyons' ripped out the lawn and replaced it with low-water-use ground cover, rocks, and native plans. They replaced old fashioned sprinkler heads with drip irrigation systems that direct water right to plants and prevent evaporation.
The Lyons' spent about $2,000 on their new low-water-use landscape. East Bay MUD reimbursed them 50 percent of the cost of the irrigation system and 25 percent of the price of plants and mulch -- $600 total.
Anyone in Alameda or Contra Costa Counties can participate whether you have a small patch or garden estate. Once your project is approved by EBMUD, you have 4 months to complete it. Your reimbursement depends on how much you spend to make the water-conserving changes.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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